Float
by TheFluffyPrince
Summary: If Rei was going to be a part of the swimming club, then he needed to learn how to swim before the summer tournament. But before he learns how to swim, he first needs to learn how to float. Warning: There are mentions of drowning, but no actual drowning occurs.


** A/N: I just had to write about Nagisa and Rei now that I've seen episode 3. It was fate. After all, Nagisa did say that Rei was beautiful. **

**It was just asking to happen. **

**Oh, and I have no idea how to write Rei. It's worse than writing Haruka. ;A; So I apologize if he's a bit OOC.**

**Pairing: Rei x Nagisa**

**Warning: Pining, mentions of drowning, OOCness**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!/Swimming anime**

"Rei-chan! Rei-chan!" A high pitched voice called from the distance.

Blinking for a moment, Rei lifted himself up off of the ground, ceasing his stretches for a moment to see who was calling him. When he saw a familiar head of golden hair and a bright smile, a huff left his lips. The corner of his mouth twitched for a moment, almost giving way to a smile, but he quickly squashed that desire. Instead, he let his customary blank expression slip onto his face. As the young male jogged up to him, Rei raised an eyebrow before he returned to his stretches.

"What can I do for you, Nagisa?" he asked, not giving away anything in voice that would suggest interest or curosity.

Spotting a pout on Nagisa's face out of the corner of his eye, a strange feeling bubbled in his chest for a moment and he found himself almost breathless. Although that might have to do with the fact that he was stretching himself in a position that he wasn't entirely comfortable with.

"A-Ah, well I was thinking that we could practice some swimming today, since Haru-chan couldn't be here today," Nagisa's voice floated around him, a bit of sadness laced in both his inflection and his expression.

Frowning a bit, Rei lifted himself up once again, this time staying up instead of resuming his stretches. "What do you mean Haru-san isn't going to be here? He always comes to practice."

Nagisa just shrugged his shoulders, nibbling his bottom lip. The tip of his tongue poked out from his lips and for a moment, Rei found himself staring at the younger male. More specifically, staring at his lips. His chest felt really tight all of a sudden and he noticed at once that he wasn't breathing. Taking in a deep breath, Rei shook his head a bit and pushed up his glasses with his finger. What was wrong with him all of a sudden? He's never acted like this before. He's always been calm and collected, his thoughts never running away from the path that he set it on.

Except now, it seemed as though his mind was on a completely different track and it was all Nagisa's fault.

Frowning deeply, Rei sighed and shut his eyes. He had told the boy that he was to take responsibility and he expected him to do that. "Well then, why are you here? Your friends obviously aren't coming to practice," he pointed out, raising an eyebrow at Nagisa.

Just as he said that, a bright smile came back to Nagisa's face and he quickly began stripping himself down right where he was standing. A faint blush came to Rei's face and he looked away before it could become evident that he had been staring. He started repeating equations and formulas in his head, desperately trying to distract himself. Velocity, the rate of acceleration, gravity is 9.8 m/s^2…

It took him a few moments of quoting formulas in his mind to effectively calm him down. Taking in a deep breath, Rei finally stood up and pulled at his swimsuit, which was starting to stick to his body. Glancing back at Nagisa, he noticed that the young male had stripped down to his swimsuit, grinning at him. Piercing his lips together, Rei looked away from the boy, starting at the pool with trepidation.

He still hadn't exactly warmed up to the idea of swimming. Haru-san had won over his belief that swimming could beautiful, but that didn't mean that he was ready to just jump into the water. There was still the fact that he didn't know how to swim (or float). And the fact that Haru-san wasn't there to teach him made him even more hesitant. Land was something that he was absolutely confident on, which was why he chose to join the track team. He could tunnel his formulas into track, calculating the rate of acceleration and the center of gravity needed to achieve perfection. But with swimming…

With swimming, he wasn't sure which equations applied. Water had several forces acting on it that made it difficult to correctly calculate one distinct formula. Volume, depth and length of the pool, the fluid properties of water…there were too many factors that could result in something less than perfection.

Although now, it was a challenge that he was willing to take on. Rei was not one to back down from a challenge.

"-Are you ready, Rei-chan?"

Snapping his head back towards Nagisa in mild surprise, he furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Tilting his head and shining those innocent eyes at him, Nagisa chuckled and walked up to him, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him closer. "To swim, of course! What else would we be doing?"

Looking at the young male, Rei pushed up his glasses again. "I thought that you said that Haru-san wasn't coming today…"

"He isn't. But that doesn't mean that we can't practice though! After all, you're my responsibility since I was the one to recruit you to the swim club," Nagisa said before he jumped into the water with a loud laugh.

Left standing on the pool deck, Rei watched Nagisa as he swam lazily through the water. While not as beautiful as Haru-san when it came to his form, the way that Nagisa swam still left him breathless in a way. It was obvious that the young male loved to swim, if the large smile on his face was any evidence. It made Rei smile a little bit.

He kind of wished for that kind of freedom. The freedom to just go into something and not have to think. To let the love of something fill his veins and do his best to reach perfection without figuring out formulas. But he wasn't like that. He couldn't achieve that kind of freedom. He needed formulas and equations. They helped him understand the world around him in a way that others can not.

It was his safe place.

Watching as Nagisa swam towards him with that dopey smile of his, Rei found himself walking over towards the edge of the pool and kneeling down, letting his fingers graze the surface of the water. It was still a bit early to be swimming in the pool, but the weather had been really nice lately. It was a nice day to just swim and relax.

Feeling a little bit of water splash on his body, Rei flinched a bit and let his eyes flicker up to Nagisa's face. "Are you coming in?"

Frowning, Rei's brain immediately started sprouting explanations and excuses as to why that was a bad idea, the main reason being his lack of ability to swim. He had already embarrassed himself at the first practice by almost drowning and he wasn't exactly looking forward to a repeat experience. Piercing his lips tightly together, Rei's eyes flickered down to the water. His chest felt tight again, but this time for a much different reason.

His sour thoughts must have shown on his face, because he felt a wet hand grasping his own dry one, causing him to look back up at Nagisa. Instead of a look of pity or concern like he was expecting, he saw what appeared to be…understanding.

"Nagisa-"

"Just trust me. I won't let you fall," Nagisa interrupted him.

Rei's eyes widened at the sudden statement, his breath hitching in surprise. He…he hadn't expected such a statement from Nagisa. Nagisa, the young boy that had been following (stalking) him for the past few days, actually looked worried about him. He was…he wasn't used to someone being worried about him before. Especially not over something as childish as his hesitation to swim. He had only known Nagisa personally for a few days and he was already offering to help him in ways that others have not.

It made Rei confused. Even with several factors and options running through his mind and being filtered out, he couldn't come up with a hypothesis as to why Nagisa would be so quick to help him. He had said so himself that he trusted in Haru-san to teach him, not the young male. All that he had said was that he expected Nagisa to take responsibility, but he had mostly been joking about that. He hadn't been completely serious. And even if he had, he had no idea what Nagisa would have to be responsible for.

It seemed as though he had been waiting too long for Nagisa's taste, because Rei suddenly found himself surrounded by water. He gasped loudly and immediately began flailing, trying to claw at the water. His heart picked up rapidly and started beating quickly in his chest, almost making it hard to breath. He could vaguely hear someone shouting something, but the sound of water rushing into his ears made it kind of hard to hear.

It wasn't until a few seconds later that he realized that there was something wrapped tightly around his waist and chest, holding him above the water. Ceasing his flailing for a moment, Rei's eyes widened before he looked down at his body. There he saw two arms wrapped tightly around his body, holding him tightly. Gazing over his shoulder, Rei was surprised to find Nagisa holding onto him. Although, he didn't really have any reason to be truly surprised, given the fact that he and Nagisa were the only ones at the pool.

Taking in several deep breaths, Rei slowly turned his head around to look down at Nagisa, who was looking back up at him with those large eyes of his. They were twinkling in mischief and worry, an odd combination but it made sense in his eyes. Nagisa did come across as the type to act before thinking. He got very excitable and didn't see the consequences of his actions until later.

A childish trait to have, but…it fit.

"Rei?" Nagisa's voice called out to him, soft and timid.

Giving a soft grunt, Rei reached out to grab at the edge of the pool, pulling himself back towards the surface. The arms around his chest tightened for a moment before they loosened enough for him to get free. For a few seconds, he could feel his body starting to sink back into the water but his hands clenched at the edge of the pool, holding himself up. That didn't stop his heart from beating rapidly in his chest. Everything in his body and mind were screaming at him to get out of the water, telling him that he wasn't fit to swim. He was much more comfortable on land. Humans weren't meant to swim.

But he had made a promise. He had promised Nagisa that he would join the swim club and help them out. He had signed himself down as Haru-san's student, swearing to learn everything that there was about swimming gracefully and beautifully. And if there was one thing that Rei didn't do, it was going back on his word.

"Rei? Are you alright? Do you want to get out of the water?" Nagisa said softly, swimming up next to him.

Taking in a few deep breaths, Rei shut his eyes tightly before he shook his head. "No. I…I'm fine. I just need to get used to the feeling of being in the water."

He didn't hear anything from Nagisa, so he glanced out of the corner of his eye to look at the other male. Once again, there was that look of understanding that made his stomach clench up. He noticed movement from under the water and watched as Nagisa held out of hand to him, giving him an expectant look.

"I promised that I'd keep you from falling. So, I'll help you learn how to float today. If that's alright," Nagisa said, faint flush coming to his cheeks.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Rei stared at the young male for a moment. He didn't think that he had ever seen Nagisa so timid and unsure. The young male always seemed so sure and confident with himself. Not to mention stubborn and persistent. And yet, here he was, blushing like some shy first year. It made Rei crack a small smile and laugh underneath his breath.

Reaching out to grab Nagisa's hand, Rei slowly let go of the side of the pool. Once again, the sinking feeling consumed his body and he tensed up unconsciously, expecting himself to sink underneath the water. But the hand grasping his tightened and pulled him close to Nagisa's body.

"You have to relax Rei-chan, if we're going to teach you how to float."

Easier said than done. He was not used to the properties of water, despite all his research and readings that he had done the nights prior to this practice. And after the disastrous first practice where he almost drowned, it went without saying that he wouldn't be relaxing very easily. It seemed as though the young male realized that, as he sighed softly and moved his arms so that they were wrapped around his body, holding him close.

"Relax, Rei-chan. I'm right here. I won't let you go," the young boy whispered.

Letting out a deep breath, Rei clutched to Nagisa's shoulders to hold himself steady. He took several calming breaths, letting the water wash over him while he concentrated on Nagisa. Every once and a while, his body would slip back into the familiar panic of being in the water, but Nagisa would quickly calm him down before it got too bad. He wasn't sure how long that they had been floating in the water, their legs kicking lazily to keep themselves up. It could have been five minutes, thirty minutes, even an hour. But Rei didn't linger on those thoughts, much too calm and relaxed to worry about the time. He didn't have any other commitments that day, so he could do what he wished until nightfall.

He was so relaxed that he didn't catch Nagisa's sudden comment, the sound of mumbled noises being the only thing that he heard. He let out a grunt and opened his eyes - he hadn't even noticed that he had closed them - before glancing around. He squinted his eyes at the brightness of everything around him and blinked a few times to get the bright circles of light out of his sight. He glanced down to look at Nagisa, who's face was pressed against his chest. His eyes were shut just like his were a few seconds ago and his lips were moving, but no sounds came out.

Smiling gently, Rei rested his hand on top of the young male's head, causing Nagisa to flinch a bit and open his eyes in shock. He stared up at him with glazed eyes for a moment, blinking rapidly before opening his mouth. "R-Rei-chan?"

Grunting once again, Rei leaned down and looked Nagisa right in the eye. "I thought I told you not to add "chan" after my name."

Nagisa stared at him for a moment before he chuckled and patted him on his chest. "Well, you said not to call you that since we weren't very familiar before. But I figured that since we've gotten a bit closer…"

And there were those insufferable eyes again, looking at him large and bright. It made Rei a bit annoyed that Nagisa could pull those out at anytime and use them against him. He just knew that the boy knew what effect those eyes had on him. There was no way that someone was that innocent.

Coughing awkwardly, Rei straightened up and looked away. He could feel his face and ears getting hot and coughed again. "I didn't say that we weren't becoming close…"

Moving a hand up to his face, Rei unconsciously tried tp push his glasses back on his face, only to realize that he wasn't actually wearing his glasses. Eyes widening for a moment, he blinked and looked around again, eyebrows furrowed. As he noticed that the area around him was blurry and he could barely make out anything other than the pool, he sighed roughly and frowned. He had no idea where his glasses could have gone do. More than likely, they were at the bottom of the pool, where he couldn't reach them. There was no way that he would be diving down to go and get them either. He didn't want a repeat performance of almost drowning.

But he knew someone who could go and get them.

"Nagisa," Rei said in a tight voice, causing the young boy to snap his head towards him. "I've lost my glasses in the pool and…can't find them," he gritted out. He hated asking for help. It made him uncomfortable.

But it seemed as though Nagisa once again saw right through him (like he seemed to do with most people) when he gave him a bright smile. "Of course I can help! Just stay right here and I'll go and look for your glasses!"

And just like that, Nagisa slipped away from him and slipped underneath the water. Leaving Rei floating in the center of the pool.

Alone. In the water.

_Where he could drown. _

Taking in a harsh breath, Rei's eyes widened and he tensed immediately as he felt himself lowering into the water. A strangled whimper left his mouth and he clenched his eyes shut, wrapping his arms around himself. The blood in his veins began pulsing, the rushing noise the only thing that he could hear. His could feel his body trembling and he seemed to break out into a cold sweat, even though he was in a pool in the middle of April.

When the water touched his chin, Rei flinched again and bit his bottom lip. He didn't want to drown, he didn't want to drown, not now. Not while Nagisa was in the pool. He'd be so disappointed with him. Not to mention sad. After all, he was his responsibility. He didn't want Nagisa to be sad over him. (When he would think back on the moment later, he would wonder why he worried about what Nagisa thought of him).

Nagisa…

_Nagisa_…

He…wouldn't be happy if he drowned. He'd be really sad…

Sad…

Taking a shuddering breath, Rei cracked open his watery eyes, noticing that he was still above the water. Well, his head anyway. The rest of his body was still below water, but he could still breath. That was more important at the moment. Shutting his eyes again, Rei took in deep breaths, trying to calm down his raging nerves. The urge to flail and kick out was really strong, but he resist the urge to do so. Both Nagisa and Makoto told him that doing so would just make it easier for his body to sink below the surface. Relaxation was needed to stay afloat.

_He needed to relax…_

Taking in one last breath, Rei shook for a moment before the tremors in his body eventually calmed down. His limbs were still shaking lightly, but it was at a more manageable level. His heart was still pounding in his chest, but it wasn't as loud in his ears. His breath was still coming in and out fast, but he could breath somewhat comfortably.

He was much calmer than he had been before in water.

Barely noticing the splashing noises behind him, Rei at the water in front of him. He hadn't thought that he would ever get into water in his life. He spent all of his time training for track. But here he was, a part of the swimming club. Doing the exact thing that he thought he would never do. He hadn't had much hope for swimming, and yet here he was floating.

Maybe at this rate, he could end up swimming…

A sudden weight on his back caused Rei to shout out in shock and head right underneath the water before he could stop himself. But thankfully, he was able to pull his head out, coughing and sputtering as water rushed out of his ears and nose. Glaring at the person to blame, he noticed that Nagisa was looking at him sheepishly, holding up his glasses. Huffing, he grabbed his glasses and slipped them on before turning to face the boy completely. "I'm getting out of the pool. That's enough excitement for today."

He had expected for Nagisa to put up a fight, to whine and beg for them to continue. But instead, the young male just nodded his head and gave him that large smile that he normally saw on his face before grabbing onto Rei's hand and dragging him towards the edge of the pool. Rei let himself be dragged, pulling himself out of the water and reaching for his towel.

"So…did you have a good time today, Rei-chan?" Nagisa asked from behind him.

Glancing over his shoulder, Rei continued drying himself off while he looked at Nagisa. He didn't say anything for a moment, letting the young male stew for a few seconds before letting a small smile come to his face. "It was interesting."

Nagisa noticeably straightened up before he smiled brightly. "Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed it! Maybe we can swim together some other time really soon!"

Chuckling at the younger male's antics, Rei just nodded his head. "Perhaps so."

**A/N: I don't even know. I kind of had a different plan, but the story led me to this point. **


End file.
